How to Crop an Image in Powerpoint

In this practical guide, we've shared how to crop an image in Powerpoint, so that you aren't forced to use a separate image editor when building a presentation. Powerpoint makes it easy to edit photos and illustrations within a slideshow, and you can even crop images into predefined shapes, like a circle or a heart.

How to Crop an Image in Powerpoint1. First, load the Powerpoint project that you want to edit. Select the slide that contains your desired image, and then click on the image itself. Then, click on the Format tab near the top of the screen to see a variety of image editing options.

2. Within the Format tab, click the "Crop" button to display cropping handles around the chosen image. Click and drag on the black handles to set the dimensions for your cropped image. If you like, you can also enter the crop dimensions manually in the Format tab.

3. Finally, click the "Crop" button again to crop your image. When you complete the crop, the darker area outside of the black handles will be eliminated, but not deleted permanently. If you want to reduce the project's file size and delete those cropped areas, see below.

How to Crop an Image into a ShapeFirst, load your current Powerpoint project, choose the slide that contains your desired image, and then click on the actual image. Select the Format tab, and then click on the drop-down arrow below the "Crop" button to bring up more cropping options. Select "Crop to Shape" from the list.

A new submenu will appear with all kinds of shapes, including rectangles, arrows, and thought bubbles. When you click on a shape, it will instantly be applied to your selected image. We recommend cropping the image first (see above), and then applying the shape cut-outs, so that the final image is the right size for your presentation.

How to Compress Images and Delete Cropped AreasTo help reduce your project's file size, first select the image that you want to compress, choose the Format tab, and click "Compress Pictures". In the new dialog box, you can specify whether you want to apply compression to every image in the project (or just this one), as well as permanently delete the cropped areas of pictures. Finally, choose a "Target Output" from the list, so that the project file is the ideal size for your needs.